Fire
by HisLifeWas
Summary: This story will include:  Models, Fashion, Parents, Drama, The guys from Charmed and an oddly powerful Scorpius... Ohh and sex later on :3  Enjoy!
1. Fire and Tears

Albus sighed, he hated these end of term assemblies in the great hall. In total honesty, he couldn't see the point in sitting there bored out of his skull whilst the choir sung some pathetically dismal Christmas songs followed by an awfully screechy solo by some nameless Hufflepuff. Sighing he rested his head in his arms and prepared to sleep through what was sure to be a notoriously boring Christmas assembly. He was just about to close his eyes when something struck him as odd; a piano had been conjured in the centre of a stage which he was sure did not exist before hand. It seemed the professors table had been moved so instead of facing the students, they were facing the stage with their backs to the rest of the school. Strangely curious he decided it may be mildly entertaining to stick this one out, "What the hell is going on?" asked James who had (as usual) arrived late and squeezed in next to his brother, Albus shrugged. "Something about as interesting as auntie Hermione, I'm sure." He drawled in his usual 'less than impressed' fashion; James sniggered.

As Albus had predicted, the choir's performance was absolute drivel but he did notice that the piano was yet to be used. Once they finished singing some flitty Christmas carol there was an obvious lag in entertainment, whatever they had planned for entertainment (probably involving the piano) was not going as planned. Professor Flitwick took to the stage,

"I'm terribly sorry students, It seems that we…" Then as if to punctuate his sentence the doors to the grand hall were slammed open and in stormed a familiar head of platinum blonde hair. Having grown up with the stories of the 'evil sod, Malfoy,' from his uncle Ron, Albus had tried his best to hate Scorpius but he had soon found that it was near impossible to dislike the boy in any shape, way or form. He was charming, polite, talented, funny, always willing to help people, quidditch prodigy, potion's prodigy, top of the class, had an amazing sense of style and to top it all off he was sexy as hell… Not that Albus was gay or anything. He wasn't, honestly. He just appreciated beauty; especially male beauty. "Ahh, never mind" said professor Flitwick "Here he is now." Albus raised an eyebrow, so Scorpius was the entertainment… this day just got so much more interesting. Stepping onto the stage he flicked his hand and summoned a microphone, (wandless magic, Albus noted.) The boy's face was totally devoid of emotion, which was strange for the usually chipper Slytherin; he cleared his throat.

"I was supposed to play some cheesy Christmas songs," he said to no-one in particular. "But due to recent circumstances I'm not feeling particularly festive… So here's something else." OK, now Albus was confused, admittedly they were not the best of friends, but he had never seen the Malfoy Heir look anything other than happy and smiling. Casual conversations during fleeting partnerships in Potions classes had shown Albus that the Blonde could find the silver lining in anything, even a minor explosion(caused by Albus, who was awful at potions) that singed off half his eyebrows. He said it gave him a chance to try a new healing spell he'd been working on which, like pretty ,much everything else Scorpius did, worked perfectly. That was the first time he'd touched the Blonde, Albus had been stirring concoction and was pointedly trying not to think about how attractive the boy beside him was; apparently he'd thinking so much he'd missed the other boy tell him to stop stirring several times so when Scorpius put him hand atop the other boy's he flinched violently and ended up backhanding the Blonde across the face; in his haste to apologise he knocked eye of newt into the cauldron at the wrong time and the mixture exploded in the boy's face. He was mortified, the entire class had turned to regard the spectacle and the professor had been livid; Scoprious had just laughed. A lot. He asked the teacher if he could be excused and returned several minutes later looking as perfect as ever. Albus had apologised, grovelled really but the boy just waved a hand in dismissal "It's fine, shit happens. I like your watch by the way, where did you get it?" Ever since then they've smiled at each other in corridors but have never again been paired with each other by the professor. Albus snapped back to reality as Scorpius sat at the piano and put the microphone into the stand, the question still remained; what had made the happy-go-lucky Scorpius so sour? Perhaps it was just stage fright. Attention fully of the Blonde he watched Scorpius wave his hand and begin to play. As soon as his fingers played the first note, a fine rain started over the boy; the song was one he didn't recognise (music wasn't a large part of Albus' life) but from the sound of it the song was _muggle and quite beautiful. _

"_Close enough to start a war,_

_All that I had, is on the floor._

_God only knows what we're fighting for,_

_All that I say, you always say more._

_I can't keep up with your turning tables, _

_Under your thumb I can't breathe._

_So I won't let you close enough to hurt me,_

_No I won't ask you, you to just desert me._

_I can't give you, what you think you give me,_

_It's time to say goodbye to turning tables._

_To turning tables." _

Scorpius' voice was beautiful, think and rich with milky tones that made Albus' heart melt. The rain was coating slashing off the floor and sprinkling Scorpius in a fine mist, his once stoic expression changed to suit the music and even though he did not know the entire story he could tell the other boy was in pain.

_Under haunted sky's I see you,_

_When I was been lost your ghost was found._

_I've been a hundred storms to leave you,_

_As hard as you try, I will never be knocked down._

_I can't keep up with your turning tables,_

_Under your thumb I can't breathe._

Scorpius' fingers began to thumb more deftly at the keys, creating a certainly more staccato feeling. It was as is the boy was releasing his pain through the words he was singing and the rain changed to suit his mood; changing from a light rain to a practical downpour that beat down upon the blonde but never seemed to hit anyone else. As he began to thumb the notes of the chorus he threw his head back to enunciate the words,

"_I won't let you close enough to hurt me_," Scorpius' hair was soaked and hung to his face beautifully, the water had permeated the thin white shirt he was wearing and forced the material to cling to his lithe form revealing two deliciously pink nipples that Albus just wanted to suck… Or at least he would if he was gay, but he wasn't. Honest.

"_And I won't ask you, you to just desert me._

_I can't give you, what you think you gave me,_

_It's time to say goodbye to turning tables._

_To turning tables." _The rain beating down around Scorpius had become murderous and thunder was echoing throughout the room. Lightning had started to strike and was hitting the stage around the boy in causing random bursts of beautiful light that served somehow to highlight his eyes; large haunted orbs holding none of their usual good humour began to well with water as he began the final verse,

"_Next time I'll be braver, I'll be my own saviour when the thunder calls for me,_

_Next time I'll be braver, I'll be my own saviour standing on my own two feet._

_I won't let you close enough to hurt me, _

_No I won't ask you, you to just desert me._

_I can't give you, _

_What you think you gave me._

_It's time to say goodbye to turning tables, to turning ta-bl-les;_

_To turning tables, yeeaahhh._

_Da-daa hum, yeahh." _ Scorpius' fingers began to run down the keys playing various solemn tunes before setting into the rhythm of a new song, using one hand to play the opening notes his other hand flicked several times and a steady drum beat started pounding from nowhere in particular. Albus took the opportunity to cast a glance around the room, every eye in the hall was fixed upon the boy playing before them, several girls were wiping their eyes at the emotional display and several of the "butcher" boys in the school seemed torn between swooning or heckling piano playing pouf. (At least Albus hoped he was a pouf… Well, if he was gay he would hope so; but he wasn't. honest.)

"_I let it fall, my heart,_

_And as it fell, you rose to claim it_

_It was dark and I was over_

_Until you kissed my lips and you saved me_

_My hands, they're strong,_

_But my knees were far too weak._

_To stand in your arms,_

_Without falling to your feet._

_But there's a side to you, I never knew never knew,_

_All the things you'd say, they were never due, never due._

_And the games you played you would always win, always win…" _

Then something odd happened,the rain that was continuing to pour around the boy seemed to buzz as if it were electrically charged before bursting into a display of bright blue, orange, purple, red and yellow flames that created a waterfall effect of fire in front of him seamlessly dissipating before it touched the floor.

"_But I set fire to the rain,_

_Watched it pour as I touched your face,_

_Well, it burned while I cried._

_'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name!_

_When I lay with you,_

_I could stay there close my eyes._

_Feel you're here forever,_

_You and me together Nothing gets better._

_Cause there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew,_

_All the things you'd say, they were never true, never true._

_And the games you play you would always win, always win._

_But I set fire to the rain,_

_Watched it pour as I touched your face,_

_Well, it burned while I cried 'cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name!_

_I set fire to the rain,_

_And I threw us into the flames._

_Well, it felt something died,_

_'Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time!_

_Sometimes I wake up by the door,_

_That heart you caught, must be waiting for you._

_Even now when we're already over_

_I can't help myself from looking for you."_

_The waterfall of flames then began to turn into a whirlpool that surrounded the piano, lifting it so Scorpius was playing above naught but air and flames. Albus watched mesmerised as Scorpius sung what was probably the last verse of the song,_

"I set fire to the rain,

Watch it pour as I touch your face.

Well, it burned while I cried,

'Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name.

I set fire to the rain,

And I threw us into the flames.

Well, it felt something died,

'Cause I knew that that was the last time.

The last time, oh, oh!

Let it burn,

Let it burn.

Let it b-u-r-n."

The last notes were held for several seconds, during which the cyclone became so bright, most of the students were forced to avert their eyes and Scorpius was completely hidden by a roar of flames. When the music stopped, the Typhoon of fire dissolved leaving an empty stage and the very noticeable absence of one Scorpius Malfoy; the piano was still there, unscathed by the magic display but the Blonde haired boy (who was sure to enter Albus' totally non-gay dreams that night) had vanished. A stunned silence was all that filled the hall, Scorpius' voice was beautiful and the show was spectacular but for some reason no-one quite knew how to respond. If Albus had paid to see that in concert he would on his feet, cheering and hooting as loud as he could but for some reason he (and every single other person in the hall) was stunned into silence. Headmistress McGonagall rose to the stage,

"Yes, Well… That was interesting wasn't it children? I can't quite tell you where Mr Malfoy has gone because as you know there is no Apparating within Hogwarts but he seems to have vanished into thin air. Regardless, I'm sure if he were here he would thank you all for sitting so quietly through his performance." She paused and wrinkled her brow, "Now children, off to bed with you and don't forget to pack all of your belongings if you are returning home for the holidays. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and look forward to seeing you at the start of next term." Several words of farewell later the students were send off to their dorm rooms, most still wondering about the disappearance of Scorpius Malfoy.


	2. Daddy Dearest

_Megga small section, just to set some rules... I've changed everything. All the kids ages are diffrent, as in I'm having James and Rose in the same year, Hugo in the Year Below them, Albus & Scorpius a year below him and Lilly? Meh, not dicided yet. Probs the year below them. Just because. Also, I don't care if things are inaccurate. I don't write for that, I have no love life of my own so this is how i get mahh jollies! haha I have no time for research! _

**IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT ACCURACY THEN THIS STORY IS SOOOOOOO N-O-T FOR YOU HAHAHA! :3 **

_it all starts in the chapter after this._

Enjoy!

Xxx

HLW

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><p>Christmas was a dud. Whilst it was nice to get away from school and just chill with the family, time off always seems to drag after the first several weeks, especially when one's mind is fixated upon something… or someone; and Albus' mind firmly fixated on Scorpius Malfoy. (But not in a gay way, because he wasn't gay… Honest.) As it stood there was one day left until he returned to Hogwarts and he had come to the conclusion that he had to Scorpius, the only logical explanation for his fixation was that he wanted to be friends with the blonde and constantly thinking about him was his minds way of letting him know. Now the only thing left to figure out is how to talk to the boy. He was just thinking through different scenarios when his dad came and sat beside him on the couch<p>

"What's up with you? You look like someone stole your tuna sandwich." Albus raised an eyebrow,

"I hate tuna and it's James who doesn't share his food; I'm Ablus, remember?" Harry rolled his eyes,

"That doesn't answer my question."

"How do you talk someone you've never talked to before?"

"Ahh, so it's one of those kind' of problems. After James, I hoped never to have to have this talk again but here goes… You see, Albus, when two people love each other very much, they tend to show that love by…"

"Ohh God, dad no! No no no no no! I already know all about that, I just can't figure out how to approach someone who I wouldn't usually talk too. Nothing about sex, I already know everything I need too, thank you very much."

"Ahh, well that saved me a hassle. So this person, what are they like? In the general hierarchy of Hogwarts, where does she stand?"

"This person is the person who everyone loves." He sighed, "The person who everyone clamours to be near and get with but who doesn't seem to realise the effect they have on people or even that half the school's boys and girls are fighting for their attention." Harry scoffed,

"Sounds like Malfoy,"

"What?" Replied Albus, perhaps a little faster than was strictly necessary.

"When we were in school that person was Draco Malfoy, still is in today. I had a meeting with him the other day to discuss several matters and in the space of two hours he got two glasses of wine, a shrimp cocktail, a bottle of champagne and a marriage proposal... by the time we left the restaurant I was wasted yet he was still in perfect control of himself, how he manages it I'll never know."

"Yes, well… Back to my problems?"

"Well, have you tried saying hello?"

"Hello, that's your great advice; say hello?"

"Well what better way to start a conversation." The man had a point, nothing was stopping him just going up to Scorpius and saying hello…

"Well what do I say after I say hello?"

"How about 'I'm Albus?'"

"Ohh come on dad, they know my name."

"So you've spoken before?" Albus looked pointedly at his shoes,

"Kinda." Harry scoffed,

"Kinda? How can you kinda talk to someone?"

"It wasn't so much as talking as I slapped them in the face before burning off their eyebrows." Harry snorted,

"How… How did you… What?"

"We were in potions… You know how hopeless I am at potions."

"Good point, have you apologised?"

"That's the thing, they weren't mad… Just laughed and said it gave them a chance to try out a new healing charm; they're so nice to everyone it's slightly intimidating." Albus cringed inwardly, he was purposely using the word "they" in attempt to conceal the fact they were talking about a boy from his father but it somehow offended his concept of correct English.

"I have no idea what to say to you, son except be yourself and good luck. I'm sure she'll love you just as much as you love her."

"Dad, I don't… you know what, never mind you suck at this. So do you and Mr Malfoy work with each other a lot?" Harry shrugged,

"A fair amount, there's a lot of overlap between my job and his… well one of his. Although, I think I may have upset him."

"Why?"

"I don't know, son" He said, wrinkling his brow. "Last time we had a meeting he was just so quiet, seemed like all he wanted to do was get me drunk so he could leave as soon as possible; didn't even walk me back to the HQ like he usually does, I may have to owl him." Albus laughed, his father sounded like such a woman.

"I wouldn't take it personally, Scorpius seemed pretty upset the day we were finishing term; Perhaps it's a family thing?"

"Yes, well its times like these I wish I read the prophet." Albus rose to his feet and smiled,

"I really should finish packing, I want to get there early tomorrow with the hopes of getting a cabin; did you know that James and Lilly still have books to get? Regardless, night father!"

"Good night, son." And with that, he left to finish packing.


	3. Trainrides & Punchups

_Once again, if you want some form of JK Rowling 10000000% accuracy don't look here. I, like most people, just come here for the slash._

_Songs to come and some major groveling.  
><em>

ENJOY!

HLW

xxx

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><p>As the fates transpired, Albus left for the train a little over two hours before his siblings (both of whom opted to sit around and sleep all holidays instead of actually buying the supplies they needed for next term,) and as such went in search of a free cabin. Considering his relative earliness he was slightly suppressed to quite a few of the cabins already occupied, sighing he began to search for a free cabin. Slipping his head into what appeared to be a free cabin his eyes widened as he saw Scoripus Malfoy sat alone with his head leant against the window; his long blonde hair was handing freely over his face and he was filing his nails. His eyes flicked over to Albus when he heard the door click open, tear tracks stained his cheeks "Ohh, Hey Albus." He wiped his eyes and sniffed slightly, "What are you doing here?"<p>

"Are you OK?" Scorpius gave a half laugh,

"I take it that was a rhetorical question?" Albus shook his head, "Don't you read the Prophet?" again, he shook his head.

"No, my dad won't let us read it after they took a picture of him and my auntie Hermione together, claimed they had an affair and she got slapped for being a 'home wrecker.'" The boy gave a half laugh and gestured to the seat before him,

"Please, sit down." Albus acquiesced and sat in front of the blonde,

"I enjoyed your performance on the last day of term," Scoripus raised an eyebrow, "Really you're very talented."

"Thank you, it seems all of my pent up… emotions served for quite a show. So, how was your holiday?" And thus the conversation continued, Albus revealed how his holiday was spent lounging around doing nothing in particular whilst Scorpius revealed that his was spent in France being forced to make appearances at several fashion shows his father was under contract to model in, he didn't go into detail but from what Scorpius said it was clear his father would rather have been with his son than working.

"I know that it's none of my business and I'm not going to push you to talk about anything you don't want to, just know that I am here if you ever want to talk to anyone."

"Thank you; however I'm not one to push my troubles on others. Especially people I hardly know."

"I know that, I also know that out of everyone I'm probably not the person you want here right now." Mumbled Albus looking pointedly at the floor,

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're you. You're the smartest and most popular boy in school and everyone loves you, I'm me. Hardly a comparison."

"I'm hardly loved by everyone. When I came to the school everyone was of the opinion that I was evil, present company included," at this, Albus blushed slightly "I've tried hard to change their opinions; as has my father but there's only so much I can do. Some people never accept change."

"Like who? You seem to have friends is every house," Scorpius snorted,

"I think of all people you would know who I'm talking about, he is your cousin after all." Albus frowned,

"Hugo?" the Blonde nodded,

"He loathes me. There's no real reason for it, he's just grown up with the stories of how evil us Malfoy's are and then there was the whole 'muggle ambassador' fiasco. To make a long story short, your cousin would be appalled if he saw you talking to me and I'm pretty certain you felt the same way for a time."

"I tried to, I mean my father seems to get on well enough with your father now but I grew up with stories from my uncle Ron that painted your family as evil. I didn't want to like you, but then you were so nice to me and you're so pretty then I accidentally slapped you and burned off your eyebrows and then you were so nice about it and how could I hate you when you were so nice? I couldn't, I just couldn't. I couldn't hate you because there's nothing about you to hate, you're kind and happy and your hair is amazing, you're rich but not a snob and after spending thirty seconds with you it became pretty obvious that I would never be able to hate you." Albus then realised that he had once again been speaking to the floor and it wasn't until he looked up did he realise that Scorpius was actually smiling at him,

"That may be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me… Thank you. Really, Albus, thank you." After that, the while conversation was a lot more freewheeling and friendly; Albus could have sworn at several points that the boy opposite him was flirting with him but tried not to read too much into it. The two hours seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye and it wasn't until they were both sat in the floor with Scorpius moving Albus' hand in the correct way to induce wandless magic, at which he was somehow completely apt, were they interrupted by a particularly loud voice.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Albus jumped, visibly at the intrusion but Scorpius only turned his head;

"Hello, Hugo."

"Hey Hugo, what's up?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Just having a chat, wait am I missing something? You seem angry."

"Too right I'm angry what are you doing with a Malfoy?"

"Just having a chat," He looked over at Scorpius to see him staring at their hands with a slightly intrigued expression on his face; it seemed Albus has linked their hands together and interlinked their fingers in a surprisingly intimate manner, which was odd because Albus wasn't gay. Honest. The fact that Scoripus had not pulled his hand away however excited Albus perhaps slightly more than it should have. Realising what it must look like to his cousin, the brunette snatched his hand away,

"That's right Albus, don't touch it for too long; you don't know what kind of diseases this queer may be carrying.

"Please leave, Hugo." said Scorpius somewhat helplessly; he knew it was never going to happen. "I'm not really in the mood for this,"

"I don't care if you're in the mood for it…"

"Really Hugo, I came to talk to him he's done nothing wrong. Since when did you hate Scorpius so much anyways?"

"Don't say his name!" Spat the redhead, "It's filth. And Albus, why are you talking to him? Weren't you the one who said that he 'looked like an overconfident, self-righteous prick' and you hoped that you never had to talk to him? Even your dad complains non-stop to my dad about having to work with his prick of a father!" Albus blushed,

"Well yes, but…"

"Just the other day he was saying to my dad how he's so sick of Malfoy and the way he craves attention, said he's still the same horrid little prick he was in school, getting everything he wants because of his stupid fucking legacy name."

"Listen Hugo, Albus, I think you should both go."

"I'm not going anywhere, you little bitch."

"Ohh my god, will you just stop?"

I'm not going to stop until you realise your place." At this, Scoprius raised an eyebrow,

"Which is?"

"Beneath us. Beneath families who fought on the right side in the war. Your family had its time at the top and they abused it by killing innocent people, now you belong below us!" the blonde let out a low laugh and rose to his feet, something in his posture had changed and the boy moved in a way that was overtly sexual, walking towards the redhead with a gaze that would convince even the holiest of nun's to abandon their faith,

"You'd like that wouldn't you, Hugo?" He moved forward and slid into the small space between Hugo and the door, "You'd like it if I were underneath you."

"W-What are you…"

"I can see it in your eyes," He let out a ragged breath and moved even closer to the man so there bodies were pressed close together; he was practically gushing. "In fact, I think that you want nothing more than to be on top of me right now, or to have me here on my knees in front of everybody. You'd like that wouldn't you, Hugo? Too have every person on the train know that you were fucking me?" Hugo's face had turned bright red and judging by the way he was standing; the boy was desperately trying to conceal a growing bulge in his robes.

"I…I"

"Don't deny it, Hugo." The boy purred, "It's OK to give in to your desires." The last part was whispered into the larger boy's ear and for a moment it actually looked like he would lean in for a kiss, "Too bad I'm not in to redheads." Scoripus hopped away from the still stunned Hugo "Can't believe that father was right…" he mumbled somewhat to himself, "Anyways, I'm done with you now, both off you." He spared a glance for Albus, "The things you said about me were horrible and you," He turned back to Hugo "Need to face up to yourself and fast, it's not healthy to stay in the closet for so long, Weasley." Usually, Albus was pretty sure that he could see the mind of Hugo Weasley ticking away like reliable and monotonous a grandfather clock but today everything seemed different, thus when he grabbed Scorpius by the hair and dragged him out of the cabin before pinning him against the door opposite, it was a total surprise.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? You're not worthy of me, you're not even good enough to suck my dick; you're nothing!" Albus rushed out of the cabin after the pair but stopped dead when he saw heads poking out of every single cabin on the train, he hated being the centre of attention; he just froze up.

"I suggest that you remove your hands from my persons," said Scorpius, his voice eerily calm.

"You suggest, Ohh you suggest do you? I don't give a fuck what you suggest because you are nothing! You are pathetic; you're disgusting horrid little excuse for a man. I bet you're the reason your own mother is dead!" The last word seemed to stretch for what seemed like minutes, a shocked calm came over the hallway that had been previously buzzing with questions regarding the fight.

"Mother's death was nothing to do with me, she…"

"Bullshit! I bet she topped herself just to get away from you, and let's face it why wouldn't she? I know that if you were my son I'd do whatever it takes to get away from you. I bet she felt the same way, the fucking whore. Just face it, the only person who can love a Malfoy is another Malfoy and apart from your father there are none. Nobody loves you because scum like you doesn't deserve it," He sniffed and spat in Scorpius' face. "You're dirt." At the mention of his mother (Whose passing was news to Albus) all of the light in the blonde's eyes had vanished and now instead of fighting back or retaliating he simply nodded

"You have some nerve, Weasley. Someone ought to teach you some manners." Said the leader of a very large group of Slytherins who Albus recognised immediately as Malik Zambini; "I think you need to turn around and go back into your cabin before I decide that you deserve a punishment." Hugo sneered,

"I'm not afraid of you, Zambini and besides, Malfoy here is old enough to fight his own battles aren't you Malfoy?" Silence. "What, nothing to say? How about why does no body love me? Or why was my mother a whore?" Scorpius' face was totally passive, it was like a stone mask had been fitted in order to conceal his emotions.

"Yes, well… How silly of me. I didn't… Er… Huh. Yes, Right. I didn't realise that you felt so strongly… you either, Albus. It was silly of me to think that… I think I'll just… go." Scorpius freed himself and wondered in somewhat of a daze towards the luggage compartments followed by the large group of Slytherins who had come to assist.

"Yes, that's right you little bitch, slither off like the snake you are!" Hugo smiled and strutted back into the carriage with Albus closely flowing him behind, they spent the rest of the journey in strained silence, only worsened by the arrival of Lilly, James and Rose all of whom dared not breach the subject. Albus wondered how he had never noticed the boys' animosity before and midway through the journey had to wonder, why when something good happened does something bad have to come along and fuck everything up_? Now I'll never be able to talk to Scorpius. _Sighing, he tried to count the raindrops on the window.


	4. Time to Formulate

Albus wrinkled his brow, he had been receiving odd looks and hearing snide comments ever since he had stepped off the train and they were beginning to get to him. Usually he took no notice of such things, but he already felt awful for not coming to Scorpius' defence so the digs just hurt even more. It seemed like the entire school knew of the fight… which of course, they did. Everyone had once again gathered for the welcoming feast and the stage that had been erected was just another constant reminder of what a prick Albus had been by just sitting there and letting Scorpius get not only screamed at but assaulted and spat on. He frowned and buried his head in his hands, _why wasn't the food being served?_ As if directly in time with his thoughts, the headmistress rose to the stage.

"Ok children, settle down!" Her voice rang through the hall as clear as day, "Now, I know you all very much enjoyed the entertainment at the end of last term so I have arranged something similar to be performed tonight. I hope that you all enjoy this young man's performance and give him a very warm welcome. Please enjoy. Scorpius?" The blonde walked silently from his seat at the Slytherin table to the stage and picked up the guitar that was set besides a microphone and a stool. His face was downcast and his eyes blank, sitting on the stool he hoisted the guitar onto his knee and cleared his throat.

"When I was asked to perform again I… I thought it would be good to see if you really liked me or just the fireworks. But now I think I shall use this opportunity to clear up a few things." He sighed, "As most of you know my family has suffered several hardships recently and there are a select few Gryffindor's out there who seem to think that it is OK to throw my mother's death in my face and who furthermore are of the opinion that her passing was not only due to a suicide but motivated by my actions." Albus could literally feel the stares burrowing in to him and not for the first time that day he wished that Hugo had not chosen to sit next to him. "Let me be the first to clarify, my mother's death was not a suicide," Albus heard a snigger from the red haired boy sat beside him. "She died of a particularly aggressive form of Leukaemia that the Medi-Wizards were unfortunately unable to treat and if anyone would like to see medical reports proving it I would be more than happy to provide them, otherwise I would be grateful if certain individuals would refrain from spouting their sensationalist theories. Also," he rolled up his sleeves to reveal his forearms "I am not now, nor have I ever been involved in or supported the dark arts. Whilst it is true that my family has in the past I will not be held accountable for the mistakes of my ancestors, just as I will not hold you accountable for the mistakes of yours. I can't bring myself to play happy, smiley, bubbly songs when I'm not feeling any of those emotions right now and just like last time I have chosen to perform songs by muggle artists and as such apologise if you do not know the words. He started strumming the guitar and Albus was entranced by the way his long pale fingers moved so gracefully across the strings, plucking each one with precision.

You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley.  
>You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we walk in fields of gold.<br>So she took her love for to gaze awhile upon the fields of barley.  
>In his arms she fell as her hair came down among the fields of gold.<p>

Scorpius took a deep shuddering breath, before strumming the opening notes to the chorus.

"_Will you stay with me, will you be my love among the fields of barley?  
>We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we lie in fields of gold.<br>See the west wind move like a lover so upon the fields of barley.  
>Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth among the fields of gold."<em>

Albus squinted, it seemed a small mist had begun to appear around the boy. Not heavy enough to be distinctly notable but Albus was trying desperately not to notice how perfect Scorpius looked sat up there playing his guitar and singing those lovely heartfelt words that he ended up trying to focus on the surrounding area. But he was somehow always pulled back to the blonde in the chair.

_You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley.  
>You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we walk in fields of gold.<br>So she took her love for to gaze awhile upon the fields of barley.  
>In his arms she fell as her hair came down among the fields of gold.<em>

_"Will you stay with me, will you be my love among the fields of barley?  
>We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky as we lie in fields of gold.<br>See the west wind move like a lover so upon the fields of barley.  
>Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth among the fields of gold."<em>

The song was very clearly about his mother, the lyrics didn't directly reference her (Scorpius had more class than that) but the way it was played made the fact abundant. Several girls in the room were once again tearing up yet Hugo had resorted to making quiet tutting noises and muttering harsh comments under his breath. Albus' mind had once again slid back to Scorpius and he started to think of things the boy could go with those talented fingers… all of which were totally hypothetical and platonic because Albus wasn't gay… Honest.

"_Many years have passed since those summer days among the fields of barley.  
>See the children run as the sun goes down among the fields of gold.<br>You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley.  
>You can tell the sun in his jealous sky when we walked in fields of gold,<br>When we walked in fields of gold, when we walked in fields of gold."_

By this point, several of the more "emotional girls" AKA Hufflepuffs were in floods of tears and mooning over how "sensitive" and "in touch with his feelings" Scorpius was. Albus rolled his eyes, he wasn't jealous… he just for some reason didn't like when people looked at Scorpius that way. The mist was clearly visible to all in the hall now, and whilst it was still thin the mist grew in area as the notes were strummed for Scorpius' next song. Despite his total lack of musical knowledge Albus thought he recognised some of the notes, but soon dismissed the idea as apart from the songs the Scorpius had played last term he knew nothing of muggle music.

"_You know it ain't easy,  
>For these thoughts here to leave me.<br>There's no words to describe it,  
>In French or in English.<br>Cuz' diamonds they fade,  
>And flowers they bloom.<br>And I'm telling you…"_

The mist had grown heavier and was beginning to speread, moving slowly out past the teachers and down the aisles of the grand hall. Twisting and swirling in patterns that somewhat resembled the smoke from a cigarette,

"_These feelings won't go away,  
>They've been knockin' me sideways.<br>They've been knockin' me out lately,  
>Whenever you come around me.<br>These feelings won't go away,  
>They've been knockin' me sideways.<br>I keep thinking in a moment that,  
>Time will take them away.<br>But these feelings won't go away.  
><em>These feelings won't go away."

By this point, the mist had grown and developed into a dense fog, and shadowy figures began to form within it. The figures took on the shape of people and began to dance down the aisles of the great hall; their movements slow and their expressions radiating pain and regret.

_"It ain't easy,  
>For these thoughts here to leave me.<br>There's no words to describe it,  
>In French or in English.<br>Cuz' diamonds they fade,  
>And flowers they bloom.<em>

_And I'm telling you,  
>These feelings won't go away,<br>They've been knockin' me sideways.  
>They've been knockin' me out lately.<br>Whenever you come around me,  
>These feelings won't go away .<br>They've been knockin' me sideways,  
>I keep thinking in a moment that,<br>Time will take them away.  
>These feelings won't go away.<br>They've been knockin' me sideways,  
>I keep thinking in a moment that,<br>Time will take them away.  
>These feelings won't go away.<br>These feelings won't go away._

_Diamonds they fade,  
>Flowers they bloom.<br>But, I'm telling you  
>I'm telling you,<br>Diamonds they fade,  
>Flowers they bloom.<br>I'm telling you.  
>I'm telling you.<em>

_These feelings won't go away  
>They've been knockin' me sideways<br>They've been knockin' me out lately  
>Whenever you come around me<br>These feelings won't go away  
>They've been knockin' me sideways<br>I keep thinking in a moment that  
>Time will take them away<br>But, these feelings won't go away  
>They've been knockin' me sideways<br>I keep thinking in a moment that  
>Time will take them away<br>But, these feelings won't go away"_

The fog around the blonde had grown so dense that he was totally hidden behind a wall of white, the figured were still dancing; their movements as slow and delicate as ever, yet the whole show had a distinctly eerie feeling to it. Albus was forced to supress a shudder as one of the dancing figures appeared behind him before vanishing further down the row.

"_These feelings won't go away,  
>Nah, these feelings won't go away.<br>These feelings won't go away."_

As the last notes were strung the fog began to dissipate, as did the dancers leaving only a stage that was completely bare save for one shadow figure. The figure was just like the dancers had been previously except this one was an exact replica of Scorpius, the figure simply stood in silence for several seconds, tears of black oil dripping down its face. The figure extended its neck and looked towards the ceiling, opening its mouth in a silent scream which was closely followed by a loud bang in which the figure exploded into a composite of black glitter and confetti sprinkling those in the hall with a more than liberal helping of the substance. _I thought he said he wanted less theatrics _thought Albus, somewhat sourly as he realised that glitter would be in his hair for weeks to come… Not that he cared about that, because that would be gay. And Albus wasn't gay. Honest.

The room was silent, much like it had been after the boy's last performance and got the distinct impression that were in complete awe of not only his beauty but his voice. Damn he could sing! Applause suddenly ripped through the room, (despite Scorpius' absence) and people began to whoop and cheer at the show. The headmistress rose to the stage, wiping her eyes as she went.

"That was quite beautiful, now wasn't it students?" a murmur of agreement spread through the room, "now a moment of seriousness if you will. From what the young Mr Malfoy was saying, there appears to be a number of students who have taken it upon themselves to re-instate pre-war animosity," Albus groaned and sunk his head into his hands once more. "Let me assure you all that such behaviour will not be tolerated, we are now and always will be one school and one people; please do not seek to divide us in un-necessary ways." She smiled fondly and raised her hand, "Now let the feast commence!"

Food began to appear before the students, but Albus had no appetite. He scooped some mashed potatoes on to his plate, along with some sausages and gravy but instead of actually eating the food he found himself pushing it aimlessly around his plate, mentally replaying the scene on the train. Just as he began mentally berating himself a letter dropped into his lap; he blinked. Hardly anyone ever got letters on the first day of school, they had seen their parents less than five hours ago. James threw him a questioning look from across the table and he looked at the envelope.

'_To James/Albus Potter.'_

Recognising his father's messy scrawl he threw the letter across the table to his brother; no one ever wanted Albus instead of James. His brother tore open the letter and scanned it with his eyes, he gulped then looked back to Albus.

"I…I think that this is for you."

"Really, what does it say?"

"I think you had better read this one for yourself." Albus sighed and took the letter, James was looking at him with a sense of seriousness that made Albus wary; James was never serious… He read the letter,

" _I don't know which one of you did it, but whichever one of you stupid little boy's got into a spat with Scorpius Malfoy needs to get the muggle mobile I gave to Lilly in case of an emergency and call me NOW!"_

The last word was in capitals and underlined three times… Ohh fuck. How the hell did his father even know about this, and furthermore what business of his is it who he gets into a fight with? Albus sighed. _Could this day get any worse? _All he wanted to do was go back to his dorm and paint, why did the world have it out for him? He swore under his breath and asked Lills for the phone, she fished in her pocket for the object before passing it to him and asking what he needed it for; he explained about the letter and heard her wish him luck as he skulked out of the hall. Moving into one of the schools many alcoves, he opened the phone and dialled the number saved as "Dad." The phone was answered after the first ring, which lead Albus to believe his father had been waiting by the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dad."

"Albus, is that you? I thought for sure it would be James calling me."

"Well, I'm sorry todisappoint but it's me."

"Do you care to explain what the hell is going on? I'm supposed to have a meeting with Draco tomorrow but I get an owl from him about an hour ago stating that he has received a firecall from Milly Zambini and her brother who told him that there had been an incident involving a Weasley kid and a Potter boy during which his dead mother was brought up and he was spat on! I didn't find out about Aristoria until this morning when I returned to work, so as you can probably expect I wasn't prepared for a conversation regarding it. Anyway, that part of the story is between you and Scorpius but who the hell brought me into the conversation and told Scorpius that I called his father, and I quote "the same horrid little prick he was in school, getting everything he wants because of his stupid fucking legacy name." Draco now says he wants nothing more to do with me and won't answer any of my phone calls, texts, owls or e-mails. I don't even know if he's going to show up at this meeting tomorrow."

"Dad, I…"

"I just want to know how you managed to cost me not only an important business contact but somebody whom I actually considered to be a friend in the space of one conversation! What the hell were you thinking?" Albus sighed and re-told the entire story, from their talk to Hugo's interruption, to the fight and even how Albus had once again frozen in the face of attention. His father just listened in silence,

"But you did say those things, didn't you dad? If you like him so much why would you say things like that about him?" Harry snorted,

"How do you think your uncle Ron would act if instead of slagging off our childhood nemesis I say to him 'Draco is actually a really good guy and if you got to know him you'd probably like him as well, even though he got the job that you wanted and in all honesty is doing a better job than you could have ever hoped too so can't we all just get along?"

"Ron isn't known for his willingness to forgive I suppose," Added Albus somewhat reluctantly.

"From what you've told me this doesn't really sound like your fault; admittedly you could have stuck up for him bit. Hugo it seems has inherited his father's prejudices." He sighed, "I'll try and talk to Ron but I don't know how much luck I will have; perhaps I'll have to ask Hermione to have a word but in the mean time I want you to apologise to Scorpius and make this right." Albus exhaled, his father didn't seem as pissed anymore.

"So you're not mad with me?"

"I am a tad sour about the amount of grovelling I'm going to have to do in attempt to get Draco to even look at me again but you need to apologise to Scorpius! Draco could make my job very hard if he wanted too and at the moment I have no idea what is running through his head. I want you to call me tomorrow and this had all better be sorted or else I will be seriously unhappy."

"How can the head of Muggle Relations make the Head Aura's Job difficult?"

"You have no idea what he can do. And besides it's not just that I like him. I mean it, Albus, get this resolved and quick." Albus swore under his breath,

"I'll try but I don't know how willing Scorpius will be to even look at me… We were having such a nice time before Hugo had to mess everything up." Harry mumbled something incoherently,

"Listen, Albus I have to go; your mothers calling me. Tell Lilly and James I say hi, OK?"

"Shall do."

"Bye, Son."

"Bye, Dad."

This sucked! It had taken all of Albus' courage to talk to Scorpius in the first place and now it would be near impossible to just approach the boy without getting hex'd by his friends; what Albus needed was a plan. Something that would allow him to talk to Scorpius in public but also be somewhere teachers would be so that no one could Curse him. _Time to formulate,_ he thought before walking back into the grand hall to play with his potatoes once more.


	5. Unexpected Situations

The plan came to him just before he went to bed. After about four hours of formulating he finally came up with a solution that would allow Albus to talk to Scorpius without being hex'd. Potions. Slytherin's and Gryfindor's had potions together every Wednesday and as luck would have it tomorrow was Wednesday. It was also common knowledge that a Scorpius had advanced transfiguration lessons before potions on a Wednesday and as such was always about ten minutes late, given the fact that a new potions master was due to start teaching today the rest of the class would be prompt as to make a good impression. All Albus had to do was show up five to seven minutes late and he would be partnered with the only remaining individual not yet in the class: Scorpius. All was set, the plan was pretty much fool-proof providing that no-one else forgot their books and had to go back for them but provided it was the first day back, the chances were slim. As it stood, Albus was four and a half minutes late and starting to sweat, _what if this doesn't work?_ He thought as he approached the potions classroom and counted to sixty, pretending to pant he entered the room.

"Sorry I'm late, I forgot my book and had to run back to get…" Albus' speech was staggered as he saw the woman at the front of the room, in a high waisted black pencil skirt and a white blouse she wore a high pair of red heels and bright red lip-stick that was a far cry from professor sprout's dumpy attire. She was stunning. "…it."

"Why hello there Mr?"

"Potter."

"Mr Potter, care to take a seat?" Albus nodded and slowly turned to regard the class; he realised his plan had worked when there was only one desk available with two seats in the centre of the room. Albus hated sitting in the middle.

"As I was saying, my name is Mrs Mathews and I will be your potions teacher throughout the year. I was previously the headmistress of a magic school in the USA however I handed the charge over to my brother-in-law in order to fulfil my own destiny; one it seems that has brought me too…" She was interrupted bt the creaking of the door as it opened,

"Sorry I'm late, I had advanced… Paige?"

"Scorpius?" A stunned silence settled the room for several seconds before the blonde ran up to the teacher and threw his arms around her; she hugged him back just as passionately. "So good to see you, Scorpy!"

"You too, I can't believe you're here. How are the children and Henry?"

"They're fine thank you, and how's your father? I haven't seen him since… well, you know."

"He's OK. You know father, if the source himself couldn't kill him nothing can."

"I'm glad to hear he's well." Scorpius looked as if he were thinking something over in his head before just deciding to say whatever it was.

"Can I ask how he is?"

"Who, Wyatt?" Scorpius nodded, "He's fine. He misses you, and he's still single just in case you wanted to know."

"Hah! After Andrej I don't think I'm going to be opening that door again anytime soon" She rubbed his arm,

"Again, I'm sorry sweety. That must have been rough."

"Yes well did I expect?"

"You expected him to stand by you," someone in the room cleared their throat as to remind the involved parties of their remaining presence. "Sorry about that, please take a seat Mr Malfoy. Class is in session." Scorpius' eyes swept over the room before he saw the only remaining seat; he simply raised an eyebrow and strolled over to sit beside Albus.

"Right class, you have a little over twenty minutes in pairs to brew a simple but effective sleeping draught. I know that it's a tad simplistic for your age and ability levels, but I need to gauge your competence levels before I start to divide the class into smaller groups. All the ingredients and you need are over there," she pointed to the left of the room; "and all the apparatus is to the right. You may begin." Scorpius motioned to the left, you get the ingredients I'll collect the apparatus." Ten minutes later and Scorpius still hadn't said anything other than 'Chop this,' 'add that' or 'are you trying to blow us up, I said twelve times, not twenty!" Albus wanted to say something, he could understand why the other boy was mad with him and he was doing an amazing job of being civil when he had every reason to hate him, just as he was about to pluck up the courage to speak, Scoprius raised his hand. "I've finished." Mrs Mathews came over to the table, "You've finished? This was meant to be a collaborative effort."

"Yes, well Mr Potter here is of the opinion that I look like an overconfident, self-righteous prick' and he hopes that he never has to talk to me and his father stated openly that my father is, how did you put it? Ahh, yes the same horrid little prick he was in school, getting everything he wants because of his stupid fucking legacy name. Needless to say, he doesn't really want to be here." Paige blinked several times in rapid succession and Albus sighed,

"Scorpius, I…"

"Deal with your personal issues outside of the classroom, boys. Did you have any input into this potion, Mr Potter?" He shrugged,

"I chopped a few things, and I stirred but I wasn't doing it right; apparently I almost blew us up."

"Ahh, I see." She walked over to her desk and picked up a vial before returning, "Antidote" she stated. Scorpius nodded and turned to Albus, "You ready?"

"For what?" Before he could complete his question the blonde put the vial to his lips and drank the potion, falling limp almost immediately he fell in Albus' direction and he was forced to catch him. On the upside, he was relatively light and Albus caught a delicious sent of Strawberry's and vanilla but on the downside, he could tell that the entire room had stoped what they were doing to look at them. This freaked him out. Albus could see people looking at him, his first reaction was to run but he had Scorpius unconscious in his arms- logical reaction? Drop him. And that's what he did, but to the untrained eye it looked more like Albus flung Scorpius to the ground; the fact that he hit his head on the corner of the table on his way down didn't really help matters. Now people really were staring and not because he dropped him but because the blonde lying unconscious on the floor was now had a pool of blood forming quite visibly behind his head. Paige swore.

"Did you seriously just throw him like that?" she shouted, kneeling beside him and placing her hands over his head. A bright light shone from her hands and the blood retracted, uncorking the antidote she shoved it into Scorpius' mouth and he awoke almost immediately. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Why does my head hurt, and why am I on the floor?" Mrs Mathews helped him up.

"He dropped you."

"You dropped me?" Albus looked away,

"It was an accident."

"An accident, you held him for about thirty seconds before throwing him against the table; how is that an accident?" Added a Slytherin for somewhere in the background; Paige raised an eyebrow.

"Can I speak to you two boys in my office please?" The class erupted into jeers as the two followed the teacher into her office. "It seems we have a problem here."

"Yes, and for once I'm not to blame," Paige sighed,

"Scorpius, Please let me finish." He nodded, "now I don't care about your petty vendetta, Albus but the issue at hand relates to your less than sup par potions skills. My suggestion is that Mr Malfoy here, in his infinite benevolence tutors you." Scorpius shook his nead,

"No. That's simply not possible. I'm already tutoring transfiguration, arithmetic and runes not to mention doing my advanced courses in the mornings, I'm quidditch captain and have to perform all of my other extra-curricular activities. It simply won't do. I need time to sleep and do essays, I only have one free day as it is. " Paige ushered Malfoy over to a corner where some very intense muttering ensued. Eventually Scorpius sighed and nodded.

"Alright, Potter this is how it's going to go. I am going to get your cousin to take my Wednesday runes student in exchange for her Thursday transfiguration student; you will take Jennifer's place as my Wednesday student and arrive at this location two hours after the end of classes; it will give me time to set up the equipment and do some work. Are we clear?" Albus nodded, it was the only way he'd be able to talk to Scorpius one-on-one. "Good." Paige smiled,

"There now, isn't it nice when we all get along?"


	6. Did you ever listen in Potions?

_OK- one thing you should know about me, I don't care about continuity, I don't care if people'es ages are mixed up or don't comply with the books, I simply don't care. i just wirting whatever comes into my head and giving it to you lovely people. _

_If you want a well researched book compliant story, go somewhere else. :') _

_On another note- more music and some sexy sexytime coming soon!_

_xx HLW._

* * *

><p>Rose wolf whistled as soon as Albus walked into the common room, "Ohh la la, why so fancy Mr Potter?" He rolled his eyes, it was clear he had put an effort into his appearance (even combed his hair which was novel in itself)<p>

"You know exactly where I'm going, I have a potions tutorial."

"Ohh yeah, who with? It was Hugo who spoke. Albus replied before it crossed his mind to lie;

"And why exactly are you letting _him _tutor you?"

"You both saw what happened in class, Mrs Mathews didn't give me an option,"

"Personally I'm surprised Scorpius agreed to tutor you, I know fist hand what a challenge that will be. And asked for you, Hugo" she said turning to her twin "cut the crap. Leave Scorpius alone, he's a good guy and doesn't deserve to be bullied. Don't think I won't tell mum."

"Tell whoever the fuck you want, Rose. I hate him and I'm not going to quit until he leaves this school." Albus took the opportunity to duck out whilst the twins argued. Walking down to the basement he readied himself for what could potentially be the most awkward two hours of his life.

* * *

><p>"Hey Scorp," said Paige entering her potions classroom room, all of the needed apparatus had been prepared and Scorpuis was sat at a table writing an essay.<p>

"Hey, Paige. Remind me again why you had me do this?"

"That's simple," she said in a somewhat singing tone. "You get extra-credit and make up with the Potter boy, I get a student who may actually pass."

"And what makes you think I want to make up with him?"

"I know you, Scorp. I could see it in your eyes when he dropped you, what happened between you two?" She took a seat next to him,

"Well first off he hated me because of my name, which I can understand. But then… Then I don't know. He came and sat with me on the train coming to Hogwarts, he told me he thought I was attractive and tried to cheer me up but then his cousin came in, assaulted me, spat in my face and he did nothing. I was also made aware of the fact that he had been insulting me for quite some time, as had his father; I think what bugged me the most was that he gave me the tiniest bit of hope before it all came crashing down. I really don't know what to think about him."

"But he looks like such a sweet guy! And he really wants to make things right with you, you should have seen the way he was looking at you whilst you were working." Scorpius narrowed his eyes,

"Yes well, if he wants to apologise he can do it with words, and I suppose we'll see what he has to say soon enough because he has been standing outside listening to us talk for the last few minutes. Didn't anyone ever tell you it was rude to eavesdrop, Potter?" Albus walked into the room,

"Sorry, I… I didn't want to interrupt." Paige sent Scorpius a look clearly meaning 'BE NICE!' and left the room.

"OK, so potions. Let's start with teaching you how…"

"Wait, Scorpius. I owe you an apology, really I do, and I'm not just saying this because everybody hates me all of a sudden I'm saying this because… Well because I was wrong. I was wrong to judge you before I knew you and I was wrong to talk trash about you; my father was wrong for talking about your father and my cousin was wrong for hurting you- hell Scorpius we've fucked up. I really am sorry and I know it's not the same as having Hugo here or my dad, but something tells me he'll be having a very similar conversation with your father sometime soon, and I am just so sorry. I know you may not believe me but I really am sorry. You've been so nice throughout all of this and even though you could have cursed Hugo into oblivion or totally destroyed us both socially you didn't, you're honest and funny and pretty and somehow you've managed to do it all whilst remaining calm and I… I really don't know how you've done it. I'm sorry Scoripus. Truly I am, you're so wonderful and I hate to think I've spoiled what could have been a friendship just because I've made a few bad choices and I know, dropping you on your head may not have been the best idea but people were staring and everyone knows I choke when people are watching, I just… I just"

"It's OK, Albus. Take a breath, you look close to tears." He sighed and dipped his head, he could feel the tears welling up. "It's alright, thank you for apologising. I really do appreciate it, but what you have to understand how your actions could have affected me- you're the son of Harry Potter for Merlin's sakes if you go against me it could destroy everything I've worked for and I don't care how much I could potentially like you I won't allow that to happen; do you understand?" he nodded feebly. "Like it or not, Potter you hold a great deal of power in this world and how you choose to use it will be important. There's something about you, an aura you don't realise exists and if you choose to ignore it and live in your own little bubble of seclusion you're going to cause yourself some serious trouble." He placed a jar of beetle toe into Albus' hands and gave his a stern look, "Be careful with this, it is extremely explosive. It is the very last ingredient to this potion; you need to place one single toe into a petree dish and place it on the tripod with a Bunsen burner. Immediately after the blue flame dies out you need to put into a cauldron filled with the rest of the potion. You're making a simple dreamless sleep potion- any questions?" Albus blinked,

"Just one, what are the other ingredients for a dreamless potion and what order do they go in?" Scorpius gawped at him as if he had just began to shit chocolate frogs.

"You're kidding, right? We did this in second year." He shook his head, "Alright, let's forget about the potion for a while- let's start with some theory." Pulling a large book from his bag he began to leaf through it; "take a seat, this is going to take a while."

* * *

><p>Three hours later, the potion was finally brewed. "Well, that took longer than expected."<p>

"I'm sorry, I just… I need tutoring for a reason you know."

"I know, and you did well. You managed to brew a potion and not blow anything up, set anyone on fire or knock someone out. I'd say that's a success in itself- wouldn't you?" Albus let out a laugh, half embarrassment half actual joy. He'd actually done something good. Fuck this was weird.

"I… I did it? Really?"

"Don't sound too surprised, you're more capable than you think. You just have to hearn how to stir correctly."

"Hey, if there's one thing I know after all this time it's how to stir!"

No actually, your technique is awful. Truly, it's no wonder everything blows up." Scorpius was grinning now,

"Ohh hah so very funny," Albus flinched when he saw how close Scorpius was. The blonde was standing directly within his personal space, his breath caught in his chest "I…."

"You have elm leaf in your hair." A shiver ran down spine as the blonde reached out to remove it,

"Thanks."

"That's all for today, I'll see you at the same time next week?"

"You'll see me tomorrow in herbology."

"Ahh, yes. The most useless subject of them all- the study of plants." Albus shrugged,

"Could be worse… It could be potions."

"Ohh ha-ha, look who's suddenly a comedian. You get going I have to stay and clean up the room, Paige would not be best happy is I left it in such a state."

"Why don't you just spell it clean?" Asked Albus as he realised the room was indeed quite a tip, Scorpious looked mortified.

"You shouldn't spell potion equipment. Ever! The spell could react with a chemical or ingredient you had in there and you could break the pot, not to mention all the other dangers! Didn't you listen at all in first year potions?"

"No, not really. If you have to do everything by hand, I think I'll stay and help." Scorpious nodded and set to work.


	7. This time you've gone too far

The weeks passed, as did the potions lessons and Albus found himself spending more and more time with Scorpius outside of their allotted potion times, it had been a month since their first lesson and the pair found themselves lying under a tree discussing transfiguration. Albus had never been particularly comfortable with close human contact but when Scorpius moved to lie down and rest his head on the other boys lap he raised no qualms- he even started he play with his hair a little bit, which earned a satisfied purr from the other boy. Eventually, Albus realised that both boys had fallen asleep and were now out way past curfew. Scorpius it seems had spelled them several blankets and cast a heating charm- he smiled down at the sleeping blonde. Something in his head told him to leave, to go back to his dorm but he didn't want to so he simply altered their positions. He lay curled up against the other boys flank and fell back to sleep with the smell of vanilla and strawberry's in his nostrils.

The next morning he awoke to the very annoyed grunts of one Rose Weasley, and the rushed explanations of one Scorpius Malfoy,

"I swear, nothing happened! Look, I will give you my memory- will that make you feel better?" she shook her head,

"No. I believe you, but why were you out here in the first place?"

"We were studying. Look, please don't hell Hugo about this, he's already putting Alby through the ringer."

"Alby?"

"I mean Albus. Sorry."

"Right, well you may want to move before the entire castle wakes up, I'll see you at breakfast." Albus opened his eyes about a minute later once he was sure she was gone.

"What was all that about?" Scorpius rolled over to face him,

"You were awake?" he nodded,

"Just didn't wanna face her, it's too early to put up with her nagging when I don't have to." The blonde smiled,

"I think we had better make a move, but Albus?"

"Yeah?"

"Never mind, let's go before more people find us." Albus thought he sounded like he was going to say something else, but it was early and he didn't have the presence of mind to figure it out so he just nodded and followed the other boy into the castle. "Hey, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Yeah?"

"There's going to be a party tomorrow in the Slytherin dorms, if you're interested in coming it should be fun. Rose will be there, so will some other Gryffindor's and a couple of Ravenclaws…. I think there may even be a Hufflepuff somewhere. It starts at nine so if you're around?" Albus considered his offer for a moment, before realising much to his chagrin that he had already made plans with Lilly.

"I have plans with Lilly, actually. But we're just deciding on a present for my grandmother. Can I come around 10?" Scorp nodded,

"Sure. And by the way, the theme is mythical creatures."

Another few weeks passed and everything was going really well, it was nearing the end of term and Albus' grades had improved dramatically, not to mention his relationship with Scorpius was flourishing. The party in the doungeons was a huge success and after that the pair even went to Hogsmede together- earning a very angry look from Hugo. It was around that time that things started to get confusing for Albus, he was spending so much time with Scorpius that Hugo was beginning to hate the boy even more and what's worse is that it had really started to impact the whole family dynamic they had going on. Everything however, came to a very messy head as Albus was readying himself for his final potions tutorial of the term.

"Another potions tutorial?" Albus nodded,

"Yeah."

"You know, you never dress up this much for us."

"Dress up, you mean wear a shirt?"

"Speaking of which, why are you wearing a shirt for a potions tutorial?"

"No reason, what's your point Rose?" Albus was so busy checking his hair in the mirror that he didn't even see Hugo walk into the common room.

"Her point is that you should spend less time dressing up like a faggot for some queer blonde Barbie doll." His tone was quiet, but malice dripped frim every word. Albus just sighed,

"Whatever, Hugo. I don't have time for this." Rose tried to intervene but a withering look from her brother shut her up almost instantly.

"Well then you'll make time."

"You know what, I'm getting sick of you acting like a child…"

"And I'm getting sick of you acting like a faggot." The entire common room had fallen silent, just watching the boys go at each other. Albus tried to make his way past his cousin only to be a dragged backwards by his collar,

"Move out of my way, what do you think you're doing?"

"If you think I'm letting you out of here to go see some pansy ass Malfoy arse-licker you're out of your mind." Albus slapped Hugo's hands away before pushing his cousin out of the way,

"I said move." The pullback on Albus' hair made him wince, "Stop it, you're hurting me!"

"If I have to hurt you to stop you from seeing him then that's what I'll do."

"Hugo!" came Rose's voice from behind them, "Let him go. Now."

"No."

"I'm serious, Hugo. Now." Hugo didn't look like he was about to let go but finally he did, shoving Albus forward as he did so.

"Fuck off then, back to your little play thing."

"You know what Hugo, I'm getting real sick of your shit." Everyone turned to see Emmey, widely recognised as one of the more reserved Gryffindor's, walk towards the red head.

"Ohh yeah, and what's it got to do with you?" He tried to sneer, but it didn't work very well. Emmey wasn't overtly physically imposing but when he spoke, people listened.

"I think you should leave, Albus. Your cousin and I are going to have a little chat."

"You're a disgrace to the name Potter, Albus. We're all thinking it. You swan around acting like a big shot with your death eater friends and you act as though they didn't try to wipe out our entire family. They're the reason Teddy doesn't have a real family for fucks sake and you're just going to rub elbows and god knows what else with them? If that's your choice then fine. Go with it. But don't expect to have any family left if you do, don't expect anyone to be here for you when all of this comes crashing down around you. You need to make a choice- choose your family or the Malfoy kid. But do it soon before there isn't anyone left for you to cry too."

"Be quiet, Hugo. You've gone too far."

Albus nodded and fled the room.


End file.
